Below are two official lists released by Hillary Clinton’s presidential
campaign committee in Tennessee. One, furnished to the press earlier, contains
names of members the candidate’s Tennessee steering committee; the other,
released on Tuesday, is of the members of the “Tennessee Women for Hillary
Council.” What is striking about both is the paucity of representation from
Memphis and Shelby County and the overwhelming preponderance of representatives
from Nashville and Davidson County.
Candidate Clinton’s steering committee bears the names of three (count ’em,
3) Shelby Countians — Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism; state party
secretary Gale Jones Carson; and state Senator Beverly Marrero. Period. There
are 38 members from Davidson County, however — meaning that Davidson
representatives outweigh those from Shelby — a county equivalent in both
population and historical/political importance — by a ratio of 38 to 3! And
these figures do not take into account membership from the adjoining areas of
both the state’s major centers. Adding those would make the ratio even further
out of scale.
The disproportion is even more striking on the new list of women’s council
members. There are 24 Nashvillians on the list and none from Memphis. That’s
Zero. To be sure, Paula Barnes from suburban Cordova is named, but she does not
begin to offset the staggering additional number of members from such Nashville
suburbs as Goodlettsville, Hermitage, and even heavily Republican Brentwood.
Whatever all of this means — flagging support for Clinton in Memphis, a lack
of interest in the Memphis area by members of her state organization, or party infighting in Memphis (or elsewhere) that might serve to exclude certain Democratic
factions in preference to others — is hard to say. But it’s passing strange.
Carson, a longtime party activist and a former chairman of the local Democratic party organization, expressed surprise at hearing that the Clinton state lists were so lopsided in favor of Nashville.
“Somebody called me from Nashville last year and asked me to serve, and I agreed. I haven’t heard anything else from them since. I really don’t know what they would expect me to do,” Carson, a former aide to Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton and now a ranking administrator for MLGW, said.
Carson confided that she had also been contacted in recent weeks by a representative from Barack Obama’s campaign, asking her to serve in some official capacity for the Illinois senator’s bid in Tennessee. “I told them I was already committed,” said Carson, who noted for the record that Obama had not declared his candidacy at the time last year when she agreed to lend her name to the Clinton committee.
HILLARY’S TENNESSEE STEERING COMMITTEE:
Co-Chair; Former Governor Ned McWherter, Weakley County
Co-Chair; Former Chair of the Public Service Commission Jane Eskind; Davidson
County
Co-Chair; Thelma Harper, State Senator, 19th District; Davidson County
– Kim Glassman Adkins, Attorney; Davidson County
– Jerry Anderton, Legislative Director; UTU, Davidson County
– Minnie Bommer, Rural West TN African-American Affairs Council; Tipton County
– Helen Boring, Democratic Activist, Washington County
– Vickye Boykin, Democratic Activist; Cocke County
– Jedidiah Brewer, Small Business Owner; Dyer County
– Winona Brewer, Dyer County Democratic Party Chair
– Mary Browning, Democratic Activist; Giles County
– Steve Bringle, Tipton County Commissioner
– James “Moe” Brotherton, Sullivan County Commissioner
– Matt Brotherton, Democratic Activist; Sullivan County
– Darrell Brown, Songwriter and Producer; Davidson County
– Tommy Burnett, former State Representative; Fentress County
– Randy Button, Former Chairman, Tennessee Democratic Party; Roane County
– Randy Camp, former Commissioner of Personnel; Crockett County
– Gail Jones Carson, Secretary, Tennessee Democratic Party; Shelby County
– Samanthia Cassidy, Gospel Singer and Missionary ; Sevier County
– Desmond Child, Songwriter; Davidson County
– Sidney Chism, Shelby County Commissioner; Shelby County
– Mary Clement, State Director of Consumer Affairs; Davidson County
– Amy Click, Democratic Activist; Cocke County
– Robert and Paula Collier, Small Business Owners; Warren County
– Linda Costello, Community Leader; Davidson County
– Gladys Crain, Lauderdale County Democratic Party Chair
– Hunter Davis, Songwriter; Davidson County
– Paul Davis, Former Chairman, Democratic Party County Chair Organization;
Warren County
– Terrie Dobbins, Democratic Activist; Davidson County
– Richard Eskind, Community Leader; Davidson County
– Nancy Fischman, Community Leader; Washington County
– Sonja Fox, Democratic Activist; Washington County
– Judy Goldman, Democratic Activist; Washington County
– Jim Hall, Former Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, and
Annie Hall, Democratic Activist; Hamilton County
– Dalton Harrison, Montgomery County Commissioner
– Johnny Hayes, Former Director of the Tennessee Valley Authority; Sumner County
– Michelle Haynes, Chair, Tennessee Conservation Voters, Sumner County
– Niketa Hailey-Hill, Democratic Activist; Davidson County
– Jessica Hooper, Assistant Public Defender; Davidson County
– Steve Hornsby, Former Hardeman County General Sessions Judge
– Bill Howerton, Grangier County Commissioner
– Stuart James, Former Chairman, Hamilton County Democratic Party
– Terry Jaremko, International Rep, RWDSU Union; Blount County
– Clark Jones, Former Tennessee Democratic Party Treasurer; Hardin County
– Robin Mitchell Joyce, Attorney; Davidson County
– Jeremy Kane, Founder and school Director of LEAD Academy; Davidson County
– Laraine King, Democratic Activist; Greene County
– Tommy Kilby, State Senator, 12th District; Morgan County
– Gary C. Ledbetter, Sr., Former Executive Director, Tennessee Democratic Party;
Maury County
– John Little, Democratic Activist; Davidson County
– Dick Lodge, Former Chairman, Tennessee Democratic Party; Davidson County
– Carol Lee Logan, Democratic Activist; Unicoi County
– Rev. Harold M. Love, Jr., Pastor, Saint Paul AME Church; Davidson County
– J.W. Luna, Former Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation; Davidson County
– Beverly Marrero, State Senator, 30th District; Shelby County
– Harlan Mathews, Former U.S. Senator; Davidson County
– George Mays, Legislative Representative, International Association of
Machinists and – Aerospace Workers; Davidson County
– Hansel McCadams, District Attorney, 24th District and Teresa McCadams,
Community – Leader; Henry County
– Hallie McFadden, Attorney; Hamilton County
– Linda McFadyen Ketchum; Democratic Activist; Davidson County
– Mike McWherter, Community Leader; Madison County
– Doris Medlin, State Executive Committee Member; Davidson County
– Debbie Miller, former First Lady of Metro Davidson County
– Wilma Morgan, Democratic Activist; Cocke County
– Lee Mouser, Small Business Owner; Davidson County
– Larry Mullins, Small Business Owner; Hamblen County
– Angela Fultz Nordstrom, Democratic Activist; Davidson County
– Hazel O’Leary, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, President of Fisk University;
Davidson County
– Bill Owen, DNC Member; Knox County
– Mike Padgett, former Knox County Clerk
– Mark Padgett, Small Business Owner; Knox County
– Brenda Sims Palmer, Democratic Activist; Knox County
– Charles and Margaret Palmer, Democratic Activist; Cocke County
– Wanda Payne, Democratic Activist; Johnson County
– Dr. Nat Revis, Community Leader; Anderson County
– Annie Roboff, Songwriter; Davidson County
– Terry Quillen, veteran Nashville Journalist; Davidson County
– Alma Sanford, Democratic Activist; Davidson County
– Marvin Sandrell, Democratic Activist; Maury County
– Bruce Shine, Attorney; Kingsport
– Maria Silas, Attorney; Davidson County
– Tammy Simmons, Legislative Representative, National Association of Letter
Carriers; Davidson County
– Bill Smith, Former Chairman, Unicoi County Democratic Party
– Ann Strong, Former Register of Deeds, Crockett County
– Christopher Smith, Community Leader; Davidson County
– David Taylor, Small Business Owner; Davidson County
– Byron Trauger, Attorney; Davidson County
– Tracy Wandell, Anderson County Commissioner
– Albert Waterhouse, Community Leader; Hamilton County
– Leo Waters, Former Metro-Davidson Councilman
– Jacqueline Webber, Democratic Activist; Cocke County
– Teena Webster, Democratic Activist; Robertson County
– Mike Wellons, Bolivar City Councilman ; Hardeman County
– Johnnie Wells, Democratic Activist; Sullivan County
– Marilyn Williams, Democratic Activist; Cocke County
– Anna Windrow, Former Senior Advisor to the Governor; Davidson County
– Harold and Sylvia Woods, Labor and Community Activists; Knox County
– Ralph Yelton, Former State Representative; Sullivan County
Tennessee Women for Hillary Council:
Kathy Austin, Nashville
Paula Barnes, Cordova
Leann Barron, Nashville
Reba Baskett Nashville
Cynthia Bennett, Nashville
Sandra Bennett, Nashville
Rebecca Blackburn, Jackson
Lee Ann Brackett, Nashville
Brenda Bradford, Gordonsville
Theresa Burson, Goodlettsville
Helen Caddes Brentwood
Kim Cady, Nashville
Samanthia Cassidy, Kodak
Mary Clement, Nashville
Lynne Cushing, Nashville
Sandy Dickey, Nashville
Tasha Dunn, Knoxville
Jennifer Eberle, Nashville
Sarah Ellery, Nashville
Jane Eskind, Nashville
Veronica Frazier, Nashville
Margaret Goldman, Knoxville
Rupa Gootam, Nashville
Annie Hall, Signal Mountain
Wendy Hardaway, Nashville
Tammy Harris, Cleveland
Michelle Haynes, Gallatin
Sherry Jones, Nashville
Francine Kline-Clark, Springfield
Callahan Miller, Hermitage
Sheila Nicholson, Trenton
Angela Fultz Nordstrom, Brentwood
Doris Medlin, Nashville
Sarah Jo Moore, Cleveland
Brenda Sims Palmer, Knoxville
Yvonne Pate, Nashville
Rhonda Reece, Nashville
Donna Richardson, Antioch
Marisa Richmond, Nashville
Barbara Roberts, Crawford
Tracy Rode, Nashville
Maria Salas, Nashville
Alma Sanford, Antioch
Bette Shulman, Nashville
Pris Siskin, Chattanooga
Eleanor Stevenson, Hendersonville
Sherrie Vaughter, Burns
Teena Webster, Springfield
Lynn Williams, Nashville
Phyllis Williams, Old Hickory
Yvonne Wood, Lebanon
